Werewolves on the Loose

ASC Games today divulged further details on its Werewolf: The Apocalypse computer game, announcing that it will be released in the fourth quarter and use Epic MegaGames' Unreal engine.

DreamForge has been tapped to develop the project. The group most recently completed Sanitarium, a horror-themed adventure game also published by ASC. The Werewolf license was acquired from White Wolf Games, creators of the popular pen and paper roleplaying game of the same name.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is part of the best-selling World of Darkness Storyteller series of RPGs, which also includes Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension.

Serving as the game's executive producer is Travis Williams, who certainly knows the White Wolf roleplaying games better than most. Prior to joining the computer game industry, Williams was one of the original designers of the pen and paper version of Werewolf: The Apocalypse at White Wolf Game Studio.

"Working directly on and watching the progression of Werewolf: The Apocalypse from original concept at White Wolf, to cult phenomenon, and now to life on the PC has been an amazing evolutionary process," said Williams.

He also said that all parties involved were committed to keeping the game authentic to the original property while appealing to PC gamers.

"One of the key goals that is shared by ASC Games, White Wolf and DreamForge, is to further develop the property into one that stays true to the loyal pen and paper RPG fan, while at the same time appeal to all of the big time PC gamers who are looking for a new standard in action games," he said.

The plot of Apocalypse follows the doings of one Ryan McCullough, a teenage werewolf just discovering his powers. In the White Wolf universe, werewolves are traditionally the servants of Gaia, a good Earth goddess, but unfortunately McCullough's clan has been corrupted by an "impalpable entity" known as the Wyrm. McCullough finds himself caught between these two supernatural factions, and must decide which side he will support.

Epic's Unreal engine is fast becoming the technology of choice for game developers working in both the action and roleplaying genres. Half a dozen games have been announced using the engine, anything from ASC's hunting game to Duke Nukem Forever to Warren Spector's next roleplaying game, Deus Ex. But the Werewolf game may be one of the more ambitious undertakings in the works, according to those familiar with the project.

"From a game design standpoint, ASC Games and DreamForge have taken on an extremely aggressive project that would be a tall task for any 3D game engine," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic. "However, we're excited that they have the confidence in the Unreal Engine as well as their own development resources to further the engine's capabilities and hopefully make Werewolf: The Apocalypse one of the most anticipated titles of 1999."

Interestingly, Werewolf: The Apocalypse is not the only White Wolf license game in development. Nihilistic Software is working on Vampire: The Masquerade for Activision, while Hyperbole Studios is developing Mage: The Ascension.

Hyperbole previously created The X-Files computer game, while Nihilistic was founded by Ray Gresko, lead programmer on LucasArts' Jedi Knight.